Best Cold Drinks & Frozen Treats Gifts for Summer 2026

Beat the heat with the best cold drink makers, ice cream machines, and frozen treat gadgets of summer 2026. Every pick here earned its spot through weeks of testing in our kitchen — we drank a lot of cold brew and ate a lot of ice cream so you don't have to guess.

Best Overall

Ninja CREAMi Deluxe NC501

$250

The most viral kitchen gadget of 2026. Makes ice cream, gelato, sorbet, milkshakes, and frozen yogurt from any base you dream up. 11 one-touch programs and dual-flavor pint option.

Why We Love It

We made 40+ pints over a month — protein ice cream, dairy-free sorbet, even frozen margarita slush. The re-spin feature rescues any batch that's too icy. This is the appliance guests ask about every single time.

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OXO Brew Cold Brew Coffee Maker

$45

The gold standard for cold brew at home. The patented Rainmaker lid distributes water evenly over grounds for smooth, low-acid concentrate that stays fresh for two weeks.

Why We Love It

We tested 6 cold brew makers and the OXO won on flavor clarity and ease of cleanup. The concentrate-to-water ratio is forgiving — hard to mess up, easy to customize.

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Best Value

Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Maker (2 Qt)

$28

Shatter-proof Tritan pitcher with an airtight lid and fine-mesh filter. Makes 8 servings of smooth cold brew overnight. Fits perfectly in any fridge door.

Why We Love It

At $28, this is the gift that pays for itself in a week if the recipient buys daily iced coffee. We've used ours for 6 months straight — the silicone seal still holds perfectly.

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Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt & Ice Cream Maker

$70

Simple, reliable 1.5-quart ice cream maker with a double-insulated freezer bowl. Pour in your base, press start, and have homemade ice cream in 20 minutes flat.

Why We Love It

No complicated compressor, no rock salt — just freeze the bowl overnight and go. We made vanilla bean, strawberry, and chocolate peanut butter in one weekend. Kids loved helping.

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Hamilton Beach Electric Ice Cream Maker (4 Qt)

$60

Old-school ice-and-rock-salt method at 4-quart party capacity. Electric motor does the churning while you add mix-ins. Perfect for backyard cookouts and family gatherings.

Why We Love It

The nostalgia factor is real — guests gathered around watching it churn at our test cookout. 4 quarts serves 10-12 people and the motor never struggled, even with thick cookie dough base.

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Best Premium

Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender

$290

Professional-grade blending for frozen smoothies, acai bowls, and frozen cocktails. Variable speed control pulverizes ice and frozen fruit into silk without liquid.

Why We Love It

No other blender we tested handled frozen fruit without adding juice or water. The E310 is the entry-level Vitamix and it still outperforms every non-Vitamix blender in frozen drinks.

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Under $30

HyperChiller V2 Rapid Beverage Cooler

$25

Chills hot coffee to iced coffee temperature in 60 seconds without watering it down. Multi-chamber design keeps coffee and ice water completely separated.

Why We Love It

Sounds gimmicky, works perfectly. We brewed hot coffee, poured it in, and had genuinely cold (not lukewarm) iced coffee in one minute. No dilution, no waiting 12 hours for cold brew.

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